Guest Policies

The Guest Policy is created and implemented by the staff in Residential Life and Public Safety. The residence hall front desks are staffed 24/7 by Access Attendants (AA), who are members of the Barnard Public Safety department. For the purpose of this policy, a “guest” is defined as any non-resident of the residence hall. All current Barnard students (regardless of whether they live in BC or CU housing) may enter any Barnard residence hall at any time by presenting a valid Barnard ID to the AA. The ID must have a current residence hall sticker on it. Commuter students may obtain a sticker from the Student Life office in order to access residential facilities. Although this policy permits current Barnard students to enter any residence hall in which they do not live without escort, if there is any misuse/abuse of the tenants of visitation privileges, all students are held accountable for the Guest Policy regardless of where they live and what hall they are in at the time of the incident. This Guest Policy includes all Barnard College owned and operated residential facilities.

Any CU students who live in Barnard residence halls may enter the hall in which they reside at any time as long as they have a specific Barnard residence hall sticker for, and present their CU ID to the Access Attendant. CU students who wish to enter any Barnard residence hall of which they are not a resident must be signed in as a guest at all times by a resident of that building.

The intent of guest privileges is to allow for reasonable visitation by a resident’s friends, not long term or live-in visitors. Residents hosting guests (including Barnard students who do not reside in this room/suite) are expected to insure their guest(s) do not pose an unreasonable burden or infringement on the privacy and privileges of the room or suite-mates. In fairness to those paying the room fee, repeated visits by the same guest are strongly discouraged and may be denied. The guest policy applies to all resident students, including those who live in single rooms. Barnard students who live in campus owned or operated residence halls may sign-in guests to their own residence hall only. For example, if you live in the Quad and are visiting someone in 600, you may not sign a guest into 600. The Residential Life staff may be called upon to help resolve conflicts and/or concerns regarding guests.

Residential students are forbidden from giving their keys and/or ID card to another to use in order to gain entry into a residence hall. The College reserves the right to suspend or terminate an individual’s guest privileges, as well as the right to limit guest privileges during times when classes are not in session, or as otherwise deemed necessary.

Guest Access

All Barnard owned and operated residence halls have a front desk that is staffed 24/7 by either an Access Attendant (AA), who is an employee of Barnard Public Safety, or by an outside Security firm. These staff will manage all access-related issues for the residence halls.

Non-Barnard student guests are required to notify the host that they are present in the lobby and waiting to be escorted. The resident must come down to the front desk with their ID (1) to register the guest at the front desk and to escort the guest into the building. Guests are required to leave a current and valid photo ID (2) at the front desk until such time as their host escorts them back to the desk to be checked out. If a guest returns to the front desk without the host being present, the ID card will not be returned to the guest, and notice of the alleged policy violation will be submitted to Residential Life.

The resident host MUST have a current building sticker on their ID which matches the building where they are attempting to sign-in a guest. For example, if you reside in 600, but are visiting a friend in Plimpton, you will not be able to sign a guest into Plimpton because your building sticker is for 600.

A photo ID is defined as any identification card with the individual’s photo and full name present on the card. If the type of ID presented has a visible expiration date, it is expected that the ID be current in order for staff to accept it. Credit cards are never accepted as a form of ID, nor are non-photo identification cards. For the safety and security of the guest, if they arrive with ONLY their passport, the AA staff will NOT hold on to this passport, but will issue the guest a form to carry with them while they are visiting the residence hall.

Any guest who does not have acceptable photo identification* to present to the Access Attendant will be asked to complete a form providing identifying personal and emergency contact information. Once approved for entry, the host must leave their ID at the front desk along with one copy of the Inadequate ID form. The guest is required to carry their copy of this form with them at all times while in the residence hall. If a student’s guests repeatedly attempt to gain entry without appropriate identification, the student’s guest privileges, and those of the guest, may be suspended for a period of time.

* An acceptable form of photo identification includes (but is not limited to) a current and valid student/employee ID with photo or a current driver license with photo. Documents such as credit cards or ATM cards or expired photo documents are not considered appropriate identification and will not be accepted.

Guest Limits

Guest limits are addressed in two ways in this policy:

Each bedroom within the residence halls has a limit to the number of people that may be present at any point in time, regardless of the activity within the room/suite. For the purpose of this policy, any common spaces within a suite is not considered when calculating the maximum occupancy of a given suite or bedroom. Each bedroom has a maximum occupancy equal to the number of assigned residents times three. For example, if you live in a double, then you are permitted to have a max of 6 people (including yourself and your roommate) in your room at any point in time. If you live in a single, you are permitted to have a total of three people in your room at any point in time, etc.

Provided that there is no unreasonable interference with the rights of a roommate or suitemate, a resident may have a short-term guest (one whose stay is for a few hours, but not overnight) at any time as long as it is within the limits noted above. In terms of overnight guests, any individual may be hosted as a guest in the Barnard residence halls (within the above noted limits) for no more than three consecutive nights and no more than six nights total in any 30-day period.

In extenuating circumstances, exceptions to the overnight guest policy can be made by Residential Life & Housing. It is the student’s responsibility to be proactive and contact Residential Life & Housing at least two business days prior to the guest’s anticipated arrival if an exception is being requested.

Responsibility for Guests

At the time the guest enters the building, the host accepts responsibility and liability for the actions of their guest, and this includes Barnard students who are guests in another residence hall. The host is expected to escort the guest at ALL times the guest is inside of the building. Students are responsible for their guests' behavior at all times and for ensuring that guests comply with all Barnard College policies. In addition, the Barnard student host assumes the consequences for violations and/or damages incurred by their guests, and are subject to disciplinary action by the College due to the behavior of their guests. All students, whether guest or residential, share responsibility for maintaining a sense of community in our residence halls, this includes greeting and inquiring about anyone unfamiliar to them. Arrangements for having visitors must be negotiated and mutually agreed upon by roommates and/or suitemates.

Parent and Family Member Guests

Parents or family members who come to visit the student are expected to participate in the same registration process as all other guests. For visitors who are minors and are within the guidelines of the Minors Policy, the parent can vouch for the minor who may not have any identification.

Religious Observances

Students who do not carry their keys or ID on days of religious observance (e.g. the Sabbath) must inform Residential Life & Housing and be placed on a campus-wide list, so they may be provided with appropriate flexibility on their days of religious observance. If any student has a religious observance that impacts the Guest Policy, and the concern is not addressed via this policy, the student should contact Residential Life.

When entering residence halls on the day of religious observance, the student must give the Access Attendant their name and seven-digit Barnard ID number. The Attendant will check the resident name and number against a campus-wide roster of students who may be granted flexibility with the Guest Policy on their day of religious observance. Only those persons whose names are on the roster will be allowed to proceed. If a Barnard student's (or CU resident of a Barnard residence hall) name is not on the list, they should sign up for the Sabbath List on the Res Life Web Portal. Only Barnard and Columbia students living in Barnard residence halls will be placed on the roster. Only keys and an ID may be left at the front desk area; no other personal items will be held. Students must request the key box from the AA, which will be located behind the desk. Students must accept full responsibility for any key(s) and/or ID left at the front desk. All guests of religious observers must be met by the resident and be signed in by the desk staff. If the guest is also observing the same religious day, they will not be required to leave an ID, but must properly check-in with the desk staff. Students who are observing a religious days or holidays may not leave a personal guest list at the front desk in lieu of coming to the front desk to escort guests to their room/suite.

Group Gatherings

Guests Who Are Minors

Babysitting Policy

Students may not use the residence halls in order to provide babysitting services. If residents of Cathedral Gardens are providing babysitting service for faculty members who lives in College housing, they must do so within the faculty members' apartment.